Everyone makes mistakes, even doctors, and this is especially true when dealing with invasive surgeries. Liposuction is an invasive procedure that removes unwanted fat from the body using a small needle-like tube to suction the undesired material out of the body. Sometimes, too much or too little fat is removed from the body, which then leads the patient to need liposuction revision. Some more common areas that are usually treated with revision surgery are the thighs, abdomen, buttocks, back, and arms. Before you decide that liposuction revision is for you, you must ask yourself some questions after conducting proper research.
Am I a Good Candidate for Revision Liposuction?
Obviously, you must have already gone through liposuction before the need for any revisions, for this is not a fat reduction surgery. If you were over suctioned during liposuction, then you may have a depressed area on the treated body part. Surgeons will employ the fat grafting technique to restore lost volume to that region. Fat grafting, also known as fat transferring, may also be applied to areas that experienced dimpling from liposuction. If your situation was the opposite and there wasn’t enough fat removed, then you may need additional liposuction, which also falls under the revision category.
Having mistakes that need to be fixed due to liposuction can make someone a great candidate, but there are reasons why one wouldn’t be the right fit for liposuction revision. Bad health is a significant factor that should be obvious to most. If you have an underlying condition that could cause problems during surgery or after, you should disclose that with your doctor during the consultation. If you thought that liposuction would be a weight-loss treatment and merely desire more fat removed, then you are also not the right candidate. Liposuction helps with contouring the body, not to be used for weight loss.
How is this Procedure Done and What Types of Revisions Exist?
Your next thought during the consideration process is, how is it all done? The answer depends on the revision that needs to be performed. The three main types of repairs that need to be made are under correction, overcorrection, or loose skin.
For under correction, this means that additional liposuction will need to be performed. The difference is that it will be a more targeted area, designed to finish the job rather than provide extensive removal.
For overcorrection, fat grafting might be used to restore any lost volume. Fat grafting means that the doctor will remove fat from another area of the patient’s own body and then transfer it to another area. Smaller body parts can be done in one session, but more extensive restorations may need multiple treatments of grafting to get the results you are looking for.
Loose skin is common following liposuction, especially in the abdomen. A doctor would need to remove the excess tissue to tighten the skin surgically. The point of revision surgery is to fix any damage done to the body due to liposuction — this means creating as few incisions as possible. To avoid more scarring to the skin, a surgeon can reopen previous incisions because of the more targeted area being done. However, if the region needing treatment is too far from the original incision, then another will need to be made.
Cost of Revision Liposuction
Just like all other surgeries, the cost of revision liposuction depends on the type and complexity of the treatment. The range is usually from $4,000 to $15,000, which is another element to consider when choosing your surgeon before the initial liposuction.
Risks of Revision Treatments
Not every procedure is perfect, meaning that there are always going to be drawbacks. Some drawbacks are due to the complicated nature of the process, as revision surgery can be more challenging than the original liposuction. Fat grafting is limited by the amount of fat that can be removed or the depth factor with possible irregularities within the fatty layer that make the results more challenging to correct.
Then there are less extreme risks such as bruising or the more problematic such as damage to deeper structures or infection. A potential and more emotional side effect is that it can provide unsatisfactory results, which could mean more surgery.
Recovery and Results
The final question we all have is how long do we have to wait to show off our results? The length of recovery depends on the type of revision and if any additional liposuction is involved. This recovery tends to be more comfortable than the original liposuction because of the smaller area usually needing treatment. With any surgery, there will be some pain or discomfort, but that all can be managed with medication. Swelling and bruising are common but vary.
Patients usually see results immediately after liposuction revision. Generally, after 7 to 14 days, the swelling and bruising go away, yet it can take a year for your body to heal completely.